A look at a few stories to start the week…
Seattle’s NBA Return Is Good News…For Many Outside Of Sacramento: While Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson put up a great fight, in the end the lack of funds for a new arena means the Maloof’s sale to move the franchise to Seattle…a city which lost its Sonics because of…a new arena…will go through. The new arena for the future to be built in Seattle is great news for an innovative and thriving sports city and will also help re-energize the basketball culture in the Pacific Northwest. Not that the Sonics of Howard Schultz and before him Barry Ackerley were not quality organizations, but this version of the Sonics can really pick up some best in show ideas from the MLS Sounders, as great a startup franchise as there has been in North America in sports in the last 20 years, and the Seahawks, who have also re-energized their passionate fan base. The failures of the past should be turned when the Sonics go to the Key City again.
Some other winners in Seattle’s move? Probably the NHL. Hockey continues to grow in the Pacific Northwest at the grassroots level, and a struggling franchise in the NHL means that the city is now ready for the professional side with a new arena. A team there will help Vancouver also up the value of the sport south of the Canadian border and give the Canucks another potential rival to the south. Also the move will help the ever-innovative Golden State Warriors, always looking to expand their brand. While Kings fans won’t migrate right away, the trip to the Bay Area from San Fran isn’t that far, and a TV market now can be the Warriors to call their own in the state capitol.
All that positive still doesn’t alleviate years of frustration from Kings ownership or the grassroots groups that tried to keep the team, but it is an example of the value of viable brick and mortar facilities in the downtown heart of a community, a great selling point now when in years past the move was to the expanses of the suburbs.
Panthers Charity “Feet:” Steve Smith is the Carolina Panthers five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro selection, as well as being their all-time leader in yards gained. However at next week’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, Smith will be collecting shoes, not trying to fake defensive backs out of theirs. “Kick Off Your Shoes,” one of Smith’s targeted charity efforts, will be a hosting celebrity shoe auction called the “Barefoot Auction”. Money raised at the event will be used to coordinate and produce each shoe distribution that Smith puts on, each costing nearly $10,000. Before each Panthers away game, Smith hosts a shoes distribution donating up to 1,000 shoes and socks with the goal of providing a profound level of hope that will be shared through each new pair of shoes.
Samaritan’s Feet is the humanitarian relief charity that washes the feet of the homeless and families in need and provides them with new socks and shoes so that they can reclaim their dignity and respect and live without infection and many other diseases caused by not wearing shoes. To date Samaritan’s Feet has donated more than 3 million pairs of shoes with the hope to help remedy the nearly 300 million children who wake up every morning without shoes.
While much of the goings-on in The Big Easy next week will be about fun and the games, Smith found a nice niche to do some charity work for a great cause that may not get huge play because of the mid-sized market that he plays in. However it’s a more than worthwhile effort for a guy who has always played and acted as a star both on and off the gridiron.
Blue Claws Innovate For Relief: The Lakewood (NJ) Blue Claws, the A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, have always been a model minor league baseball franchise. In tough economic times, the Blue Claws have found ways to stay relevant as much more than a ball club to their community, from food giveaways to programs year-round that address the needs of people who may never come to see a game.
So in the post- Hurricane Sandy cleanup the Blue Claws came up with not just a one-time fundraiser, but a long term one: Restore the Shore.
Companies, or individuals, order “Restore The Shore” t-shirts online here and register by emailing restore@blueclaws.com or returning this registration form. Each Friday until Memorial Day, staff members (or families) wear the t-shirts and each person makes a donation every Friday. Donations are made through PayPal at BlueClaws.com/Restore orAtlanticPTCenter.com.Businesses that participate will be honored in a ceremony at a 2013 Blue Claws game.
Those impacted will be able to fill out an application and donations will be made to as many families as possible directly. No red tape, no third party. The Blue Claws staff has been wearing their Restore the Shore shirts each and every Friday since the initiative started, and since then the movement has spread to other Minor League markets as well. Minor League Baseball charities has donated $10,000 to the program, thus far the largest single contribution received.
Once again it goes to show the value of the franchise is not what happens on the field, but in the impact they can make in the social fabric of where they exist as a business.
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